Systemic RNA interference as a tool for unraveling the neurohormonal regulation of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) reproduction
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1
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department of Biology, Belgium
The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) is a fearsome pest insect. Swarms consisting of billions of individuals can seriously damage the crop production in large areas of the world. An interesting target for pest control strategies is the reproductive process and this fact stimulates fundamental research of locust reproduction. We recently produced an EST database derived from desert locust central nervous system (Badisco et al., 2011). Homology searches resulted in the identification of multiple transcripts encoding neuropeptides that may be candidate key players in desert locust reproductive physiology. The availability of this novel transcript sequence information stimulated us to employ RNA interference (RNAi) to further investigate the possible biological role(s) of these neuropeptides. A selection was made of assessable parameters that could provide insight in their involvement in the desert locust’s reproductive physiology.
Desert locusts display a very robust systemic RNAi response upon injection of double stranded RNA (even when administered in the order of magnitude of a few nanograms) into the haemocoel and they generally display at least 80 % knock-down of the targeted transcript. Therefore, RNAi has become an indispensable technique in our investigation of the molecular and neurohormonal regulation of desert locust reproduction. We recently analyzed the effects on reproductive physiology of a knock-down of locust insulin-related peptide, neuroparsins, ovary maturating parsin and juvenile hormone biosynthesis enzymes.
(This research was supported by the K.U. Leuven Research Foundation (GOA/11/02), the Research Foundation of Flanders (FWO-Flanders) and the Interuniversity Attraction Poles program (Belgian Science Policy Grant P6/14)).
Keywords:
desert locust,
hormone,
Neuropeptide,
Reproduction,
RNA Interference
Conference:
NASCE 2011: The inaugural meeting of the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology, Ann Arbor, United States, 13 Jul - 16 Jul, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Neuroendocrine control of reproduction
Citation:
Badisco
L,
Van Wielendaele
P,
Marchal
E,
Verlinden
H,
Wynant
N and
Vanden Broeck
J
(2011). Systemic RNA interference as a tool for unraveling the neurohormonal regulation of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) reproduction.
Front. Endocrinol.
Conference Abstract:
NASCE 2011: The inaugural meeting of the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fendo.2011.04.00001
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Received:
05 Jul 2011;
Published Online:
09 Aug 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Liesbeth Badisco, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department of Biology, Leuven, Belgium, liesbeth.badisco@bio.kuleuven.be